Ministry tells MSD to pull up socks

Deputy Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elders and Children, Dr Hamisi Kigwangalla  yesterday gave the Medical Stores Department (MSD) a two week ultimatum to address the discrepancies marred with drug supply in the country.

Launching an MSD pharmacy at Mt. Meru Hospital in Arusha, Dr Kigwangalla gave the MSD Director General Laurean Rugambwa Bwanakunu fourteen days to ensure everything is in order at the department.

The deputy minister explained that he was working under the orders of President John Magufuli while vowing to continuously pay medical facilities impromptu visits to unravel the mess in the health sector.

“I will not spare MSD because for a long time it has failed to supply enough drugs to Tanzanians,” said the minister.

Early this month, Minister of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children Ummy Mwalimu noted that only 30 per cent of all the medicine the government supplies to hospitals and  health  centres  reaches patients.
According to the minister, 40 per cent of the government drugs were sold secretly.

Dr Kigwangalla also issued a stern warning against pharmacists and other people receiving and selling government drugs illegally to stop such practice or else expect to face legal action if caught.

“Let me tell you this, you can run but you cannot hide, we will get you and deal with you,” said the minister.

He further challenged MSD to ensure that medicines supplied by the government are embodied with the GOT (Government of Tanzania) symbol to differentiate them with other drugs.

“I’m told that the pharmacy now has 65 different types of drugs which have been embodied with the symbol, but you can still colour-code them to differentiate it with other drugs,” advised the minister.

He also urged MSD staff to implement the open governance policy by unloading drugs at the hospital in the very presence of a health committee.

The minister also revealed that the government was keen to do away with the existing Public Procurement Act of 2011 deeming it bureaucratic and useless to the country.

According to the minister, the act had wreaked its fair share of havoc in procurement processes.

“The act is a big problem especially in procuring essential items such as drugs…it treats drugs just like any other products”.

The Sh47million worth of pharmacy at Mt Meru Hospital is expected to serve 919medical facilities in Tanga, Kilimanjaro, Arusha and Manyara regions.

It is the third in a row to be introduced in national hospitals after commissioning two others in Dar es Salaam and Mwanza. The government will commission the forth MSD pharmacy in Mbeya in the near future according to Dr Kigwangalla.

MSD trustee's board chairman, Prof Idris Mtulia assured the minister that the medical store facility was self sufficient in supplying and delivering drugs to public hospitals in the country.

He however challenged the government to empower MSD financially by allocating it with funds in bulk, a move he said would ensure them plan beforehand for drugs procurement.

“The money should be given in bulk because ordering of drugs is a long and winding process,” noted Prof Mtulia.